My introduction to jazz came shortly after I saw That Thing You Do. I swear! Prior to that, I found it somewhat inaccessible and no one my age really appreciated jazz. It was a musical genre appreciated by people older than me, and there was always something about it that seemed, well, inaccessible. When I saw Guy Patterson's enthusiasm and knowledge about jazz, I became curious. The piece of music that inspired this quest was the scene that took place at the end of Act 2b when Guy laid down tracks called Spartacus with Dell Paxton.
The piano and drum duet from that movie led me to discover Bill Evans. I grew up playing the piano so it was a natural fit to follow a pianist and appreciate his skill and artistry.
Here is just a sampling of my favorite Bill Evans tracks, mostly from the Verve label.
Development departments of major studios and production companies utilize this handy dandy tool to grade the hundreds of thousands of screenplays that they receive each year.
They will employ armies of readers to sift through this material, and most will land in the reject pile with the grade of "Pass."
Note that a "Pass" grade in the film industry is not like a "Pass" grade in school. In school, it means you earned a credit if you were taking a class pass/fail for instance. In the film industry, a "Pass" means they are passing on your project. In other words, you failed.
The grade of "Consider" is reserved for perhaps less than 1% of the screenplays that receive coverage. The reader considers the screenplay to have a lot of strong points but has some problems that will need to be addressed before it can be considered for production.
If the screenplay is strong and the reader recommends the production entity proceed to production without reservation, then a grade of "Recommend" is awarded. From stories of professional readers, I've learned that they may just "Recommend" a handful over the course of several years.
Are you beginning to get a sense of how difficult it is to get a spec script optioned? The numbers simply are not in your favor. But let's continue with the topic at hand, shall we?
What are some of the things a screenwriter can do to improve their script and move it from the large "Pass" pile to the "Consider" pile? Here are some thoughts in no particular order:
Genre: Agents are well aware what production companies seem to be looking for these days and as writers, so should you. What is selling? What is not? Take a look at industry analysis to see what is the current trend of spec script sales. The results from January to April this year suggest comedy scripts are being sold and chances are these are Rated-R bromance scripts in the style of Wedding Crashers, Knocked Up, etc.
Professional: Review your work for typos, spelling mistakes, grammar errors, punctuation, etc. If you want to be a professional writer, you need to deliver a professional looking script.
Hook: Writers have 10 pages to hook the reader in. It's all about the opening in Act I and if your opening is weak and fails to hook in the reader, your script will go in the "Pass" pile, which of course you all now know to mean the reject pile. What is it that makes the first 5 minutes such a great hook? Is it the dialogue? Is it the characters? Is it the visuals? Is it a combination of these elements?
Here's a suggestion. Think through all the movies you have seen. What are the top three opening scenes? For me, this includes:
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark - This is an absolute heart-pounding adrenaline rush! This opening makes you feel like you're on a roller coaster, and you know you'll be in for a good time.
The Big Chill - Not just preparing the body, but intercut that scene with each of Alex's friends showing up and their personalities and characters shine through in quiet moments without dialog. It foreshadows the types of relationships that will be revealed later in the movie. Besides, who can beat The Rolling Stones You can't always get what you want? It's one of my all time faves.
The Player - Cinematically, Robert Altman's single opening shot which was 8 minutes long was brilliant.
Here are some examples of coverage on Operation Atomic Blitz and The Ten-Timer of comments on scripts on the border of receiving a Consider rating.
I could go on and if I find more time in the day, perhaps I will. Now go forth and write.
Post script: Today I asked Jeff Robinov from Warner Bros. how many spec scripts have actually made it to the screen? He replied, "In the last handful of years, perhaps two have made it to the big screen. Not a lot do get through, but these did because these scripts had such a great concept."
Punchlines
Sir, do you think they believed the message we sent?
Georgy Girl is a 1966 British film based on a novel by Margaret Forster. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano and starred Lynn Redgrave as Georgy, Alan Bates, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling and Bill Owen.
The title song, performed by Australian band The Seekers, became a hit single and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song (music by Tom Springfield, lyrics by Jim Dale). Redgrave was also Oscar-nominated for her titular performance as Best Actress, as were Mason for Best Supporting Actor and Kenneth Higgins' cinematography.
The film was the basis for a musical stage adaptation called simply Georgy.
Ted introduced me to the song Georgy Girl earlier this year, and given recent events I wanted to introduce you to the song because, well, I’m just in that kinda mood. Enjoy!
Hey there, Georgy girl
Swingin' down the street so fancy-free
Nobody you meet could ever see the loneliness there - inside you
Hey there, Georgy girl
Why do all the boys just pass you by?
Could it be you just don't try or is it the clothes you wear? You're always window shopping but never stopping to buy
So shed those dowdy feathers and fly - a little bit
Hey there, Georgy girl
There's another Georgy deep inside
Bring out all the love you hide and, oh, what a change there'd be
The world would see a new Georgy girl
Hey there, Georgy girl
Dreamin'; of the someone you could be
Life is a reality, you can't always run away
Don't be so scared of changing and rearranging yourself
It's time for jumping down from the shelf - a little bit
Hey there, Georgy girl
There's another Georgy deep inside
Bring out all the love you hide and, oh, what a change there'd be
The world would see a new Georgy girl
(Hey there, Georgy girl)
Wake up, Georgy girl
(Hey there, Georgy girl)
Come on, Georgy girl
(Hey there, Georgy girl)
Wake up, Georgy girl
Words by Jim Dale and Music by Tom Springfield.
Punchlines
He was just a one-night stand. I swear. He doesn't mean anything to me. In fact...
My introduction to jazz came shortly after I saw That Thing You Do. I swear! Prior to that, I found it somewhat inaccessible and no one my age really appreciated jazz. It was a musical genre appreciated by people older than me, and there was always something about it that seemed, well, inaccessible. When I saw Guy Patterson's enthusiasm and knowledge about jazz, I became curious. The piece of music that inspired this quest was the scene that took place at the end of Act 2b when Guy laid down tracks called Spartacus with Dell Paxton. 
